[HSF] SBE and the Indications for Surgery(getting to OT)

[Tea Acuff]

It is one of those signs of ancient wisdom to recognize when a projectile filed at random is heading straight toward oneself nontheless. This would seem a simple and common observation, but as is clear from this forum that it is by no means common and is indeed universal only in that everyone sometimes fails to notice. Again Ben's eye-brain disconnect. 
As for my target, I, as almost always, I sent an opinion, before reading every one elses (and in this case yours). Not a sign of wisdom I might add.
 tea
BTW Bob, I heard from a visiting rep about my old colleague in Dallas from residency, with whom we had lunch with our wives and you in San Diego, that he had a marvelous time listening to your stories. Apparently he however only realized who you were after we all parted. Sylvia and I enjoyed our lunch also. Cheers.


----- Original Message ----
From: "Rwmfglycar at aol.com" <Rwmfglycar at aol.com>
To: OpenHeart-L at lists.hsforum.com
Sent: Wednesday, February 7, 2007 11:42:29 PM
Subject: Re: [HSF] SBE and the Indications for Surgery(getting to OT)


In a message dated 2/7/2007 11:46:18 P.M. Eastern Standard Time,  
tacuff at swbell.net writes:

I may  have told this story about when I asked my father, a general surgeon, 
what was  the main difference between private and academic practice, when I 
was a  resident.

His reply: "In academic practice you tell the referring  physican that he 
nearly killed the patient, and to next time send him earlier  and not act like an 
idiot. In private practice you thank the referring  physician for the very 
interesting case!"
tea


Dear Tea,
Very good Tea. Of course in this ambiguous world things are never quite so  
clearcut. In my division of CT surgery we funded our entire program from the  
proceeds of operating on private patients and paid our tithes to the Department 
of surgery and our dysfunctional squabbling masters the hospital and  
medical school. We tried hard to let brutal honesty rule but it was not always  easy.
Let me tell you a story from the Mayo Clinic, then the largest  and most 
succesful group private practice in the world. When I was working with  George 
Hallenbeck (he took President Johnson's gallbladder out; you may remember  
Johnson displaying his very long subcostal incision to the press of the world),  we 
had two cases in one week from a small town in the Rockies. Both had their  
common bile ducts tied off. The second patient told me "I was so lucky to  have 
such a good doctor in our town. He checked my eyes every day after  my gall 
bladder operation and when they went yellow he sent me  straight away to the 
Clinic. He knew what was going to happen to me."
George said to us "What should I do? Send a letter to the referring  doctor 
telling the idiot to start sending all his gall  bladder cases out immediately 
or should I invite him to come to the  Clinic for a week or two and let us 
show him how gallbladder surgery can be done  safely". The latter is what George 
did. The general practitioner surgeon  came to spend time with us and left a 
better man.
Bob
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